How to store bananas at home so that they do not blacken: ripe and green

The content of the article

1 Industrial scale
2 What color and shape will tell
3 How to store bananas at home

It is difficult to overestimate the benefits of bananas for the body. The product has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart and kidneys, digestion, helps to strengthen bones and increase vision. In addition, the composition of bananas contains vitamins and minerals, and protease inhibitors resist bacteria and viruses. Plus tryptophan - it generally stimulates the manifestation of a hormone of joy called serotonin. One fruit a day - and you are insured not only from depression, but even just from a bad mood.

One problem - “exotic guests” behave rather capriciously, they don’t like temperature changes, they react very sharply to direct sunlight and to extreme cold. Why then all these difficulties and notions, what is the best way to store bananas so as not to go bad? You can, after all, simply buy fresh fruits every day in a supermarket, where technologists have already taken care of their condition. But for various reasons, this is not always possible.

On weekdays, people are busy with work chores and there is simply no time to go shopping. Another example is not the fact that the nearest decent market is within walking distance, so you have to make fruit stocks a week in advance. In the end, many people are familiar with a different situation: relatives visited the child and overdid with banana gifts ...

Industrial scale

How to ripen bananas at home? Harvesting bananas on plantations involves green color and unripe condition. Only such fruits can really be saved for as long as 40 days and managed to be transported as directed. Bunches are delivered to us in specially equipped ship holds, where the temperature is kept within 12-14 ° C at a humidity of 85-90%. (By the way, at such a temperature it is good to store bananas and houses. Such parameters are in the upper steps of the entrance to the cellar in summer, and in a glazed balcony in winter).

Already in local warehouses, the fruits are "brought to readiness." Bunches are treated with ethylene - a gas that is considered a "phytohormone" and accelerates the ripening of fruits. Yellowed fruits under the influence of aeration are sent to store shelves.

What color and shape will tell

First things first, it is worth deciding for what purposes you are buying the product:

to eat today - Choose ripe, yellow fruits with a hard peel;
for the holiday - if it is in a few days, take a little greenish fruit;
for baking - Suitable overripe, soft, with dark interspersed specimens.

The color of the peel and the shape of the banana is not only the first criterion for choosing a product, but also a hint on how to store it correctly.

Green, ribbed. A ribbed shape and a greenish tint are a sign of banana immaturity. Such a fruit should not be eaten right away, unless you are attracted to the taste of the grass. But such a banana with a competent approach, according to reviews, can ripen in your home even a week.
With dark spots. They signal that the deadline is running out. The middle may already be lethargic, although “honey” and with a bright aroma. Due to this, it is also used as a part of dishes. Such - to have time to bring, and immediately - in business.
Yellow, with a round cross section and a green tail. The perfect banana. Sweet, without any problems, lasts until morning in the fruit bowl.But further, so that such a bunch does not darken, it should be properly taken care of. There are life hacks that protect the product from rotting up to three to four days.

What to do if bananas are blackened? When buying, you should be alerted by the grayish shade of the fetus - this is a sign of storage in the refrigerator until sale. And at home you already will not be able to extend his life. And the inexpressively yellow hue indicates improper ripening - such a banana will be tasteless. Do not buy fruits with cracked or damaged skin. In this case, it’s not even about storage problems, but about your health.

How to store bananas at home

What to do so that bananas do not darken? Extending the life of “exotics” depends primarily on how you are going to keep them: ripe or green, with or without peel. In each case, its own rules.

Ripe with peel

Immediately note: storage in bunches in the case of ripe fruits is not welcome. Separate the bananas from each other. This will avoid the increased exchange between the fruits of ethylene, which the product releases naturally. What to do next? The proper storage of ripe bananas has four rules.

Wrap with cling film. Thus, only banana legs should be closed. You can also stick adhesive tape on polyethylene to better hold.
Do not use packages. Experts advise unambiguously to keep the fruits without a packet: the closed space leads to the accumulation of ethylene.
Put in the refrigerator. Exactly. Despite all doubts about whether bananas can be stored in the refrigerator. The fact is that at low temperatures the circulation of ethylene slows down and, accordingly, the ripening process too. In this case, the flesh persists, but the peel turns brown, which, however, indicates not the process of decay, but the decay of the pigment. This does not affect the taste.
Select a separate shelf. Bananas are kept in a dry place separate from berries, vegetables or fruits. But why can not you keep yellow bananas next to, for example, apples? The reason is the same: the risk of rotting increases as a result of the release of ethylene by other ripe plant products.

Freezing bananas whole makes no sense. If you do not remove the skin, then when the product thaws, it will turn into a shapeless and tasteless porridge.

Peeled green

Store green bananas exactly the opposite. If you need the fruits to ripen longer, then do not leave them, like tomatoes, on the windowsill. They should be sent to a dark, dry, non-hot place. A paper bag and a pantry are exactly what the doctor ordered. And the refrigerator in this case is just contraindicated. Still advised to keep the bunches upright, hanging.

Separate the "branches" also should not be. If you need to speed up the ripening, put the bunch in one bag with other ripe fruits - in this case, apples or pears will “share” ethylene and the bananas will sooner turn yellow.

Peeled

On the storage of peeled bananas, it comes, for example, after gala dinners. There was fruit slicing - do not throw it away. There are several ways to extend the life of the product.

Freezing To freeze pulp circles, place them in an airtight container and send them to the freezer. So you can store bananas for a very long time, up to several months. And then the product will go to pies, cocktails, fruit sauces.
Soak. You can protect the pulp from darkening if you place them in a container with a solution of vinegar and water in a ratio of 1: 4 for three minutes. Then the product is placed in a container, closed with a lid and sent to a cool place. Until tomorrow, the flesh will definitely retain its appearance and taste.
Spatter. Banana slices can be moistened with lemon, orange or apple juice. They act as preservatives and slow down the darkening. You can use the culinary brush.

Unfortunately, the darkened fruits cannot be saved. Here you can offer to turn them into banana-flavored ice cream, smoothie or bake banana bread.

To find the right answer to the question of how to store bananas at home, you will have to try various methods in practice. And along the way, you can experiment with banana leaves, which today it has become fashionable to use to decorate the table, as plates at a theme party and instead of baking foil. Of course, you can’t buy them in any store near your home, but you can order them on the Internet.